To determine a better combination of signs and markings on expressway tunnel entrance sections, three types of typical signs and markings were compared and tested according to five indicators: speed, lane lateral offset, lane change behavior, fixation behavior, and operating load, using a driving simulator. The results identified that the obvious no overtaking and speed limit signs, combined with a layer of thin red pavement, had the most influence on drivers’ speed, and they led to the highest fixation frequency of static facilities, the longest average distance from the completion point of the lane change to the entrance, and the longest average lane change distance, which could help drivers to pass through tunnel entrance sections more smoothly. The location of the static facilities should be between 3 s before the tunnel entrance and 3 s after entering the tunnel, as this is the area where a driver’s relative viewpoint changes. The improper combination of warning signs and deceleration measures will affect a driver’s judgment, causing negative effects, such as premature lane changes and an increased operating load. The research results can provide a design basis and reference for the combination setting of safety signs and markings on tunnel entrance sections.
21 October 2019 in Concurrency and Computation: Practice and Experience
In this research, a multi-modal transit network will be integrated with a nested logit (NL) approach to study the effects of integrated multi-modal transit information service (IMTIS) on residents' travel mode choice behaviors. A traffic hyper-network is designed to analyze the reason why IMTIS is helpful to promote modal shift, and a bi-level NL model is developed to deal with the complicated mode choice decisions in the multi-modal network. Considering the variation of travel time under mixed traffic conditions in China's urban traffic network, a travel time reliability factor is introduced to correct values of vital attribute variables of modes. Finally, the NL model is calibrated using data from a RP survey and usages of various travel modes with and without IMTIS. The result shows that IMTIS is effective in improving share ratios of public transport in China's big cities.
The aim of this study was to meet the visual cognition needs of the elderly population for the guidance marks and safety guidance marks of the rail transit connection system. Based on the visual characteristics of the elderly population, this paper firstly determined the visual field and sight range of the marks of the elderly population from three aspects—visual angle, visual distance, and height of the elderly population—and constructed the visual recognition space of the elderly population. Then, from the perspective of the setting position, the setting height, and the deflection angle, an adaptive aging safety design method for the guidance marks in the rail transit connection system is proposed. Then, based on the eye movement data of fixation duration, initial fixation duration, and the number of visits, a visual behavior index model is constructed to iteratively optimize the adaptive aging safety design of guidance marks in a rail transit connection system. A radar map is used to calculate the comprehensive index of visual behavior to determine the optimal scheme. Finally, taking the traffic connection system of Shanghai Songjiang University Town Station as an example, the eye movement data of 37 participants were collected, according to the principle that each connection path should only be taken once per person; the above method was used to design 7 connection path guidance marks for an adaptive aging safety design. The results showed that the comprehensive index of visual behavior of different paths had different degrees of improvement of up to 14.00%, which verified the effectiveness of the design method. The research results have certain theoretical significance and application value for the adaptive aging safety design and retrofit of guidance marks of rail transit connection systems.
2 April 2022 in Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
Taking both the total passenger waiting time and operational cost into consideration, this paper presents a mixed integer programming model to optimize a coordinated passenger inflow control strategy with collaborative train timetable for a rail corridor. A model predictive control method is developed to solve the problem of interest efficiently. Case studies validate the effectiveness of the proposed model for decreased passenger waiting time, safety risks, and system costs. Sensitivity analyses with respect to the values of time and operational cost are conducted for better application of the proposed model.